27 April 2012

'Prometheus': new featurette, plus update on certification

Also, diehard fans of the Alien franchise might be pleased to know that, contrary to Internet rumours and even hints from Ridley Scott himself, Prometheus may yet be granted an 'R' rating from the MPAA. In a recent interview with MTV, Fox CEO Tom Rothman said "Not one frame of Prometheus will be cut... if that means it’s an R rating, so be it." Last month, Ridley Scott hinted to Empire magazine that in order for his movie to generate maximum profit it would possibly have to go out as a PG-13.

We won't know the age rating for Prometheus for sure until we see it attached to future trailers for the movie or splashed across official posters. For what it's worth, though, Prometheus posters here in the UK are currently being displayed with a "TBC" rating of '15' - the UK equivalent of 'R' (which also covers the UK '18' rating).

"UFO Movie"

Robbie Graham's Working Definition:

Any movie that taps directly into any aspect of UFO mythology or notably draws inspiration from UFOlogical literature, incorporating into its plot references to frequently debated UFOlogical phenomena, events and locales, as well as specialised UFOlogical terminology.

A UFO movie need not be about UFOs, per se, nor feature traditional UFOlogical iconography, but will nevertheless often devote a respectable amount of its running time to the dramatisation of imagined human/alien interactions, usually - though not always - in the context of a 'first contact' scenario in which the extraterrestrials assume the role of visitor/invader. In other words, the UFO movie frequently is concerned with the problems inherent from a human perspective in earthly encounters with extraterrestrials.